Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere is a happy time. Lots of fresh Linux distribution releases coming out, all
ready for plucking and testing. Mandriva 2010 is one of those. Debuting two weeks ago, it has drawn many,
mainly positive reviews, sparking intrigue and a desire to take it for a spin. The previous version, Mandriva 2009 was a decent distro, with some small issues here and there; overall it
behaved nicely and gave the average desktop user a solid, unique package. So the big question for me is, what
does Mandriva 2010 bring to the table?

The competition is tough, mind. Featuring the latest and greatest KDE4 bells and whistles,Kubuntu Karmic and openSUSE 11.2 delivered remarkable
results, which won't be very easy to up. Never a man to say no to a woman or a Linux distro, I've downloaded
Mandriva 2010 and started exploring.

Get Mandriva

Finding the right version is a little more challenging than you might
expect. There are several versions available. Mandriva Free comes with all-free software and has only the
traditional installer, i.e. no live CD; Mandriva One, which comes as a bootable live CD and includes
additional, proprietary software; and Mandriva Powerpack, a commercial version.

My choice was Mandriva One, adorned with the KDE desktop.

On the menu ...

We are going to test Mandriva on three laptops and two virtual machines, starting with live CD impressions,
Wireless and Bluetooth behavior, continuing via Multimedia support, down to installation, and finally arriving
into a fully installed desktop, with Compiz, Samba sharing, printing, applications, and other cool stuff to
keep us company.

Have fun, or as they say in French: buon appetite!

Live CD experience

The boot is conventional, followed by a single splash screen. Lovely and stylish.

In the typical Mandriva tradition, you will have to setup your language and regional settings before reaching
the desktop. This makes the boot longer and more complicated compared to most distros.

Mandriva 2010 KDE desktop is very lovely, for many reasons. First, the choice of colors is very smart, in my
opinion. A scattering of soft blues, plus a unique Mandriva theme that makes it different than the stock KDE4.
You know it's KDE4, but not really, which makes the things all the spicier. We'll talk about this more soon.

Like openSUSE, Mandriva booted into 4:3 aspect ratio, with resolution set to 1440x1050px, which is a very
decent selection. You also get a Mandriva Galaxy intro/promo window, which briefly tells you what Mandriva is
all about.

Wireless & Bluetooth

Wireless worked fine, except a single hiccup where it failed to connect. Otherwise, things worked fairly
smoothly. You can either left-click on the network icon to start the Network Center or right-click and browse
for available networks. A small detail that comes to mind, Mandriva uses the classic network icon rather than a
generic symbol used in most other distributions, which is a very commendable step toward average users.

Then I had my first connection failure, but after that, there were no issues. You also get big, happy popups in
the system area informing you of your connection attempts.

Bluetooth was not activated by default, which is something that most KDE4 desktop seem to do. Going through the
menus, you'll find the KBluetooth entry. Once fired up, it works well, though.

Multimedia

Mandriva 2010 One comes with all the codecs you need, so you can start enjoying your media encoded in
proprietary formats immediately. No hassle, no codec issues, just plug and play. I loved it.

Windows video, my famous Moron video, played well, but the screenshot utility did not catch the video frame, so
you'll have to believe me on this one. Flash was great too. Instead of trying the usual, Crockett's Theme, I
opted for another great song, Der Kommissar:

MP3 playback worked great, too. There was a glitch in running Amarok in live session, though. It would show the
splash, but would not switch to the GUI. If you clicked on the splash, it would vanish, but the music would
continue playing, only you would not have an interface to control your music. We'll see if this persists in the
installed system later.

Dragon Player, on the other hand, had no such qualms:

I ever tried playing several files at the same time. Everything was fine, with good sound quality and clarity,
with all the sound channels working as expected.

Look & feel, session 1

I loved the theme in Mandriva 2010. The blue was simply great, the fonts were clear and sexy. Here's a couple
of examples of what you may expect from Mandriva 2010:

Now, here's an ever better trick that emphasizes the KDE4 sweetness. I've taken screenshots of my live session
and saved the images to a folder on a USB drive. Now, what do you think the folder preview icon in the right
column displays? Yes, you guessed it right, it displays thumbnails of the very screenshots I took - not a
generic image, but one created on the fly from the folder content!

Mandriva 2010 uses the classic menu that you're more accustomed to in KDE3.5 or in Windows, giving up the
non-linear Kicker-style switchers. Again, for common users, this is a very good thing, since they get what they
already know.

Usability wise, the menu does require some small improvement:

Clicking on the menu entries, both left and right mouse click, opens the application. There is no easy way to
add icons to the desktop or the panel, at least not any that I've found during my testing. I might be dumb, but
so are most people, in a good sort of a way.

On the other hand, you'll find most-common accessed applications and functions stacked at the top of the menu
as you start using the distribution, plus there's the Favorites entry, which contains most of what ordinary
people need.

One more item that should help you locate your applications is the self-completing Run Command tool, which will
automatically search for relevant items. Plus, it has a few other useful features that you can use.

Control Center

Control Center can be launched from a shortcut icon in the bottom panel, giving you access to all system
settings and configurations. This is quite similar to YaST, except that it's ever simpler to use and navigate,
with a clean, fresh, open feel.

Using Control Center, I tried to install the drivers and test Compiz. I tried this first on T42, because it was
important for me to see if it had the same issues like Ubuntu or whether the right drivers were missing from
the repos like with openSUSE.

I had to download additional packages, but because my repositories were not yet configured, it did not work. So
I had to postpone the Compiz check to after the installation.

So far, I was really pleased. Mandriva 2010 was not perfect, but it was really, really good. But this was
only the beginning of my testing. The true fun was about to come.

Installation

Mandriva installation has always been a little tedious. You have the network configuration in live session, the
install, network configuration again after the first boot, user settings, and the registration. All in all, too
long.

So far, we've had the initial network setup.

The installation is virtually identical to previous versions. However, some things have been simplified, like
the partitioning layout.

First of all, DrakX wizard offers to use existing partitions, which is not bad, you just have to be careful not
to delete existing data. My T42 machine had a Ubuntu 9.10 installed, so this also gives us an excellent
opportunity to see how well Mandriva cooperates with Ubuntu and GRUB 2.

I decided to go with Custom disk partitioning and choose my own layout.

Using DrakX in Mandriva 2010 is somewhat simpler than in previous versions. The elements are arranged more
ergonomically and are more intuitive. To use existing partitions, you would merely need to choose the Mount
Point.

The Format button remains problematic, like before. If you click it, it will ask to format the selected
partition, immediately. It won't wait until after all partition changes are made, so be extremely careful with
this one!

Once you're done selecting the partitions, it will ask, again, to format them. Mandriva 2010 offers Ext4 as the
default filesystem, pretty much like most modern distros.

Comparison to Ubuntu and openSUSE

In this regard, openSUSE still has the most powerful yet safest partitioner of all. Ubuntu has the simplest.
Mandriva 2010 improves slowly, gradually, but the logic used is one for more advanced users. Recursive choices
are dangerous, like the Format option.

But I guess not everything can be perfect.

The next step is to remove unused packages, reducing the installation footprint. A very decent idea, except
that it takes a long time and there's no visual indicator how long this is going to take.

Afterwards, the installation begins, abruptly.

Once the files are copied, you have the bootloader setup.

Mandriva 2010 uses GRUB legacy, like the vast majority of distros out there. Once you
click Next, you'll be able to customize the menu.

The GRUB menu customization wizard is a very simple and friendly one, and in our case, an excellent test case
for configuring a chainloading exercise for the Ubuntu installation we have! You'll get to know the exact
details and reasons for what I'm doing in soon-to-be-published GRUB 2 tutorial, for now, accept my tweaks as a
fact and enjoy.

And let's add Ubuntu. It's located on sda6. What more, we need the /boot/grub/core.img kernel image. You'll
know exactly why this is in the tutorial.

Our final configuration:

This is very neat. This allows you to configure your system fully even before the first boot into the installed
Mandriva system. The desktop is now installed. Reboot. P.S. The screenshot below is from a single-boot system,
so no Ubuntu entry there.

After the system comes up, you'll have some more work to do. The first is setup the network configuration. I've
taken a few photos of the actual configuration on T42, so you can see what things are like with Wireless
networks. Works fine and dandy and saves you the hassle of additional configurations inside your freshly
installed system.

After you have successfully configured your network, repository data will be downloaded. Compared to Mandriva
2009, this was much faster and there were no errors. Still, it takes quite a bit to boot into the desktop,
perpetuating the 'too long' label.

Might also be frustrating, because you can't really do anything, except stare at a boring screen downloading
packages.

It's not over yet. Next, you have to configure users and fight your way through a five-step survey &
welcome menu. Really exhausting.

And you finally get into the installed desktop:

OK, let's sum it up so far. We've had a spectacular live session, beautiful, streamlined, elegant, no KDE4
errors so far! Everything worked as expected. Minor issues with Amarok and a few ergonomics problems.

Then, we had the installation, which is, still, too convoluted. Essentially, you have three steps until you
have Mandriva installed. The initial boot setup, the installation, the second boot setup. Too much. Removing
unused packages and syncing repos takes too long and could infuriate the less patient.

If there's one aspect of Mandriva setup that requires improvement, it's definitely the install procedure. To be
fair, it's better than the predecessor. On the good side, data saved in the live session was imported and
saved.

Now, let's enjoy our newly installed machine. I did use the word Wow in my title, so there must be something to
offset the installation fatigue.

Best desktop of 2009

The year is 2009, Mandriva is 2010 and the machine has been installed. Time to see what it can deliver.
Remember the Compiz thingie? Let's begin with it.

Compiz Fusion

This time, no problem getting the required packages.

And we're on!

Now, Compiz itself is no big deal, we've seen it many times around. But ...

The fact that the right drivers for my five-year-old T42 were available out of the box whereas Ubuntu has
abandoned them some time ago and openSUSE does not have them yet in the repos is a great thing. But wait ...

Compiz on Mandriva also runs much FASTER than what you would have expected. It really flies! Even with a decent
bunch of programs open, as shown in the Expo screenshot above, Mandriva was a sprightly as a hind.

I will show you soon how you can get Compiz running on my antiquated T42 with Ubuntu using a few hacks. We'll
have a dedicated article about that. Something I've done and you'll have to take my word for it. Best of all,
this lets me compare the two systems and see the difference. And compared to Ubuntu Karmic, Mandriva 2010
brings new life to old graphic cards.

Mandriva 2010 offers a phenomenal visual performance on very old hardware. This is simply fabulous.

Now, speaking of performance ...

Performance

Mandriva 2010 is really, really fast and light. It's running KDE4, but you don't feel it. It's that good. I do
not know what the developers did, but they must have done something. In my Kubuntu review, I reported
sluggishness in the system response with numerous programs running on T42. openSUSE 11.2 was much faster and
lighter - and Mandriva 2010 is faster and lighter still.

It's difficult to put numbers to my feeling, but it is definitely noticeable. I would hazard 20-30% performance
improvement in openSUSE over Kubuntu and that much more in Mandriva over openSUSE. Simply stunning. I could not
believe it, but there it was.

Boot times

On T42, boot times are slightly slower, 67 seconds versus 62, measured using Bootchart. This means that most mainstream distros are already optimized as much as
reasonably possible and that nothing can make old, slow machines boot dramatically faster, just a few seconds
here and there. For the typical kernel with the typical memory footprint, the results are pretty much the same.

Laptop modes (suspend & hibernate)

Worked fine on all machines, no issues here at all.

Multimedia revisited

Remember the Amarok issue in live session? No more.

Look & feel, session 2

Let's talk some more about Mandriva 2010 aesthetics. There's no doubt the desktop has been designed with lots
of love and forethought. The choices are smart and extremely elegant.

With just a few quick mouse clicks, you can have stunning wallpapers.

I would not be changing the theme, because it's beautiful.

On top of that, you get big, clear messages about important things happening around your desktop, including
network connection prompts and the upgrade bug (see below).

You can turn Compositing on, even without Compiz and you get full transparency for your windows when changing
focus. You also get soft shadows for your open windows, adding to the rich atmosphere. Clear, crisp fonts,
sharper resolution, clean and airy feel, just great.

Applications

Mandriva 2010 comes with a decent, yet pretty standard set. You get Firefox, Kopete, OpenOffice, GwenView, GIMP, Ekiga, and many others popular programs, more of which are waiting for you
when you power the Package Manager.

Control Center & Package Management

We've already mentioned the Control Center, but we should once more, especially in regard to the package
management. The Control Center lets you configure your update routine quickly and easily. Likewise, you can
install new programs using a simple Add/Remove interface.

The package manager is rather decent. It's slower than Synaptic, but faster than YaST. What more, it's gained
speed since the last release.

Perks

Mandriva 2010 spoils you with little perks, like the data backup. The moment I plugged in an external USB
device, Mandriva recommended I setup a backup schedule for my system, which is really nice.

You also get decent parental controls out of the box. I'm not sure if this is for controlling children or
controlling parents, but it works. Seriously, this is a very nice option.

You can also import Windows fonts and Windows documents and settings. Again, a very noble thought, aimed at new
Windows converts, who might want to have their old data available easily and painlessly.

Other things

Samba sharing worked fine, so did printing to a Lexmark printer installed as HP connected to a Windows via
wireless. I did not test proxy, sorry.

Problems

There were some, after all.

Upgrade bug

One of these is a weird bug that recommends you upgrade to version 2009. I did not proceed and try to see what
happens, but c'mon. QA, anyone?

Spelling errors

Some of the menus and options had conflicting messages, with seemingly innocent but wrong words inserted. One
of these is the 'cant use' phrase used in Bootchart description field. Not only should it read can't, it should
actually read can, because otherwise, the description has no meaning.

Likewise, if your system needs a reboot due to an important update, like glibc, you may get a somewhat
strangely worded restart message:

More ergonomics issues

Mandriva 2010 does have a few odd, unique usability quirks that are not easy to solve. One of these is finding
how to change the desktop wallpaper. For example, the Desktop Settings menu does not have such an entry.

Would you expect to find this function under Folder View Settings? I would not.

KDE crashes

There was only one, but still, like every single KDE4 desktop ever so far, it has not failed to deliver at
least one application crash. I promise I will buy the KDE4 developers beer if they manage to pump out a
crashless edition one day.

For Mandriva, the culprit was KWrite:

Conclusion

First, a question: Why did I choose the word Wow in the title? Mandriva 2010 has its problems and it's not a
perfect distro. So why does it deserve a Wow?

Many reasons, in fact. First, it's really beautiful, the best of the pack so far. Second, the performance and
behavior on old machines is phenomenal. It's easy bragging what your quad-core 8GB-RAM sparkling new i7core can
do, which is why I refrained from mentioned anything on the newer T61 and RD510. Everything works well on the
new machines. As the popular saying goes, even sheep can skid on a wet slope. Or even a monkey can be really
fast in a Ferrari.

Mandriva 2010 makes the difference where it matters. On dusty, super-abused hardware. This is the real test and
it passes it with flying colors, streamers, crackers, and whatnot. The KDE4 integration on Mandriva is a league
of its own. Stunning, really.

Then, you get a friendly desktop, a decent selection of programs and no big showstoppers. Why should I not be
pleased?

On the down side, like every distro, Mandriva needs polishing. The installation procedure is typical French
cuisine, a neverending party with seventeen courses. Ergonomics needs work, as some of the functions are not
that intuitive. Better spelling and QA is also required. But you can see improvements. Old problems are being
sorted out. That's a good thing.

Other than that, they are no major minuses and Mandriva 2010 is a lovely fun pack, which offers the average
desktop user a powerful solution. A combination of good looks, exciting visual tricks, a balanced collection of
programs, and a powerful centralized management all make Mandriva 2010 one of the smarter choices this year.

It does not have the openSUSE corporate-leaning class or the Ubuntu userbase, but for the desktop user like you
and me, it's everything you could ask for. I'm genuinely pleased and surprised. Mandriva 2010 is a keeper.